Dip tube and false bottom fell off

So I was brewing a batch yesterday..I have a keggle mash tun with dip tube and false bottom....I went to collect my first runnings opened the valve and nothing...not a drop...hmmm..WTH...I tried to suck on the tube to siphon and got nothing...so when I investigate...I was able to fell around with my mash paddle...and notice I couldn't feel the dip tube...FML..

So my initial reaction to stick my hand in there and reattach...ouch..don't do that its hot

Then I tried and was able to get a hold of the dip tube with a pair of tongs..but couldn't get it reattached...so in frustration I dumped the mash and runnings in another keggle...reattached and dumped back in....and continued like normal..

efficiency and SG where way off.

Anyone ever deal with this...just curious..

I've not dislodged my dip tube, but my first time using my FB, I added a short length of tubing underneath to get closer to the bottom of the mash tun. It worked fantastically when I tested with water - only about a cup of liquid left in the cooler.

Not sure if I stirred too vigorously or what during the mash, but I clearly didn't leave enough clearance at the bottom of that pickup tube, and it clogged almost immediately. I had to dump to a kettle, fix the FB, then dump back and try to sparge. Happily my efficiency was still around 70%. I almost went back to my bazooka screen after that, but my next go round went much better.

This doesn't sound like your inaugural usage of the FB though. You've used it with better success previously?

Oh, yes, I've done it.

The sad thing is, I've done it multiple times. And on the same batch. How dumb to you have to be to not put a clamp on it after the second time? And then, during batch sparging as well. Same batch.

Last week, I managed to get a totally stuck mash and dislodge the false bottom. here's the thing, though- it was SCREWED into my keg MLT. I still don't know how I did it. I guess it's my brute strength.

I have a good friend who says about himself, "It's a good thing I'm so good looking because I are stoopid. Wicked stoopid". I could say the same thing about me.